Tony Pollard let you down (again) ... but bad luck played a part

Week 10 brought Cowboys RB Tony Pollard weakest fantasy score of the season. He recorded 15 carries for 55 rushing yards and went without a target for the first time since Week 5 of 2021. Backup RB Rico Dowdle (12 carries, 79 rushing yards), QB Dak Prescott, and WR CeeDee Lamb all scored rushing TDs in the game. Some of that was just bad luck, though. Pollard got two carries from the Giants' 4-yard line and one from the 2. All three of those runs gained yardage but found him stopped short of the goal line. Pollard also sat out the entire fourth quarter, which was when Dowdle scored his 1-yard TD. Pollard has now failed to hit 10+ PPR points in five of his last six games played. But there almost has to be some positive TD regression coming. He's tied for fifth in the league in carries inside the 5-yard line and has logged the second-most carries inside the 10. But 15 and 24 players have scored more TDs in those ranges, respectively. We mentioned Pollard as a "sell" in the past. If you're still holding him now, though, you basically need to ride it out. Sunday's final stats make it look like Dowdle challenged his role, but Pollard led his backup 15-6 in carries before leaving the game. He gets about as good a rebound spot as possible at Carolina this week, followed by positive matchups with Washington and Seattle.

Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 in Houston reports that the Titans are expected to sign RB Tony Pollard. That'll be a surprising move for a team that drafted RB Tyjae Spears in Round 3 last year -- and a GM who talked him up at the Combine. Pollard's coming off a disappointing season in his first turn as Dallas' lead back. But it has since been reported that he spent much of 2023 still working back from his end-of-2022 leg injury. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Tennessee is giving Pollard a three-year, $24 million deal. That obviously positions Pollard as the Titans' new lead back and crushes Spears' 2024 upside. Unfortunately, you'll probably have to hang on to the second-year runner rather than sell low in dynasty. Pollard has been going RB22 in Underdog Fantasy ADP -- four spots behind Spears in positional ADP. Expect both those numbers to change. Pollard should remain a fine best ball target at least up to RB15 range. Check our updated RB rankings to see where he and Spears settle.

Cowboys RB Tony Pollard posted another disappointing game in Week 17 vs. the Lions, accumulating 49 rushing yards on 16 carries. This performance ends his fantasy season on a skid of three consecutive games with fewer than 10 PPR points and is pretty emblematic of the year he had in a broad sense. In his first season as Dallas’ unencumbered lead back, Pollard accumulated an average of 76.9 scrimmage yards per game and 4.27 yards per opportunity, both down from his averages of 86.1 scrimmage yards and 5.94 yards per opportunity in 2022. It’s pretty difficult to argue that he holds RB1 value in dynasty formats at this point. Between his downturn in production and the fact that he’ll enter the free agent market at 27 years old, his future prospects will hinge on where he lands in 2024 and what type of role he’s able to secure, whether it be back with the Cowboys or elsewhere.

Cowboys RB Tony Pollard put forth another strong fantasy effort in Week 14 vs. the Eagles, totaling 16 carries for 58 rushing yards and a season-high 7 catches for 37 yards. Sunday night marked the fourth consecutive game in which he has posted at least 16 PPR points in a game. Week 15 presents an upside spot against the Bills (11th-best RB matchup per our adjusted fantasy points allowed).

Cowboys RB Tony Pollard was bottled up for most of Thursday night's game vs. the Seahawks, totaling just 68 yards on 20 carries (3.4 YPC). But he turned in a solid fantasy outing thanks to a 6-yard score in the third quarter. It was Pollard's third straight game with a TD -- after going eight straight games without one. It's just the latest reminder of the fickle nature of TDs. While Pollard's efficiency remains a concern, his volume and the strength of Dallas' offense should keep him locked into fantasy lineups the rest of the way. Pollard racked up 24 opportunities (20 carries, 4 targets) in Week 13 and has 17+ in four of his last five outings. The Cowboys, meanwhile, look unstoppable at this point, scoring 33+ points in four straight games and five of the last six.

Cowboys RB Tony Pollard found the end zone in Thursday's beatdown of the Commanders, his second straight week with a TD after an eight-game drought. that score from 7 yards out marked his fourth straight game with at least 1 carry from inside the 10-yard line. That's obviously key to his fantasy potential, but TDs will always be relatively unpredictable. Here are three other positive takeaways from the game: 1) Pollard drew 6 targets and led the team with 6 receptions. That marked his second straight game with at least 5 targets and third 5+ target game among the past four. Stabilizing his usage in that area -- which fluctuated across the first four post-bye contests -- would make Pollard a much comfier fantasy start the rest of the way. 2) He delivered a 27-yard run that was his longest since Week 3 and second-longest of the season. Pollard has been missing some of the burst that drove his game in previous seasons but looked good on that run. 3) Rico Dowdle scored but still isn't taking meaningful work away. The backup played 12 snaps (to Pollard's 41), got 3 carries (vs. 13), and ran 5 routes (vs. 22) in a game Dallas won 45-10. Pollard continues to dominate the work. The matchup certainly helped Pollard's Thanksgiving production. According to Pro Football Reference, he's averaging 2.7 yards before contact per carry for the season but got 6.1 per carry against Washington. Pollard's unlikely to get that much help from the rest of his opponents. But positive RB-scoring matchups remain against Seattle next week and at Buffalo in Week 15. A Week 17 home date with the Lions also looks more favorable after the way their defense played the past two weeks than the adjusted fantasy points allowed suggest.